The demand for ever increasing cosmetic procedures has provoked us at Marylebone Smile Clinic to produce this page to explain our proven and repeatable workflow that satisfies the cosmetic standards of today, whilst maintaining an acceptable lifelong prognosis.
Fill our the form below for a virtual consultation with one of our expert cosmetic dentists.
What are teeth veneers?
Within dentistry, veneers are defined as a thin layer (often only 0.3mm thick) of porcelain/ceramic or composite resin fitted to the outside surface of one or more teeth to their appearance.
What are veneers made of?
There have been updates to the composition of veneers in the UK over the years. While they used to be referred to as porcelain, the vast majority of veneer teeth do not contain porcelain.
Another term for veneers that is used by dentists is ceramic. We prefer this term for the purposes of clarity. Ceramic refers to any inorganic material produced through the application of heat. This encompasses all previously known porcelains, metal-based ceramics, and the more modern synthetic materials.
Which ‘ceramic/porcelain’ do you use?
At Marylebone Smile Clinic, we have a range of ceramic veneers and composite veneers that are suitable for a broad spectrum of cases.
We have found that Ivoclar Vivadent IPS e.max press, Denstply Sirona Celtra Press, Cendres Metaux Livento and GC Lisi are highly effective glass-based veneers and some of our preferred materials to use.
However, there are a few other reinforced ceramics and pure porcelains that we use depending on your aims and situation, such as Creation and Zirconia combined systems. The correct ceramic is selected based on aesthetics and strength. We believe that, more important than the material you choose, the skill of the dentist and ceramist is paramount and is what will have the greatest effect on the improvement of your smile.

Process for Veneers
- Virtual Consultation
- In person consultation
- Planning
- Preparation
- Insertion/Fit
- Recovery and maintenance
You may start by sending us a photo of your teeth, then we will assess it for how many teeth will be worked on followed by the associated costs to expect. You will be able to ask questions to our experienced team of treatment coordinators before booking a virtual video consultation with a dentist. You can discuss the treatment in more detail here and decide if it’s right for you. If so, an in-person consultation will then be booked.
A consultation is our formal starting point for beginning your treatment. We start by conducting a full dental health screen that will provide us with information on your current gum and tooth health, as well as check your mouth for signs of cancer.
We will begin to plan your specific veneer teeth after taking x-rays of your mouth and constructing a 3D image for you to see how your new teeth will look. You will be able to discuss with your dentist if there are any questions you have about your veneers and if you want to make any changes before moving forward.
Before applying your veneers, we will whiten your teeth so that your natural teeth match the brightness of your new veneers.
You will need to come in for an appointment where we will reshape your teeth and fit temporary veneers to give you a feel of what your future teeth will look like. These temporary veneers will last for 2-weeks, and during this time you can get back in touch with your dentist if there are any changes that you want to make to your official veneers before they are fitted. We will not move forward with creating your veneers until we are sure that you are fully satisfied with the finished product.
After making any changes, if you require them, to your veneer teeth from your temporary ones, they are then hand-pressed in ceramic.
There are many stages of approval during this process. First, the veneers are assessed against your bite information to ensure that they will fit your mouth as planned. Then, your dentist will view the veneers and quality check them. Before they are finally applied, you will have the chance to inspect them and offer your approval if there are no further changes that need to be made.
As the last step before they are fitted to your teeth, they are disinfected and etched with chemicals that allow the veneers to bond with the bonding agent and the tooth itself. We use a high-quality bonding agent that has been used by the highest standard of dentists for over 30 years.
You will usually feel normal after a few days, and full healing will be complete in around 3-4 weeks. Routine dental health checks are advisable to ensure that cleaning is at an optimum and the rest of your teeth are being maintained. Ceramic veneers may be maintained as you would for natural teeth, with interdental cleaning being a favourable habit to adopt, by either using floss, interdental brushes or irrigators. Our 5-year guarantee is issued after your review appointment and is kept in date by attending a hygienist twice yearly and attending our clinic once yearly.
Our services
FAQ’s
Your natural teeth may need to be reshaped again to allow the new veneers to fit onto them. We usually aim to preserve around 70-95% of each tooth, which incurs an approximate 2% risk to the nerve within the tooth becoming aggravated as a result of the procedure.
You can have composite veneers that are made from an adhesive plastic resin and are applied directly to the tooth. These are different to ceramic veneers because they are not personally hand made.
Composite veneers are easier to apply in comparison as they require less reshaping of your natural teeth and can therefore be sold at a lower cost. However, they are weaker than ceramic veneers and only last an average of 6-8 years. They also need repolishing every two years at a higher standard than normal home care.
There are also brands like Lumineer, MAC, or Snap on Smile that sell variations on veneers. They are much weaker than veneers as they do not contain multiple layers. While they may be tempting due to the price and lack of reshaping needed in comparison to ceramic veneers, their aesthetic standards are severely compromised due to the improperly shaped tooth.
CADCAM veneers are another alternative form of veneers. CADCAM stands for computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing. Constructing veneers this way by using a computer does not require the expertise of a skilled ceramist. While this may sound like a benefit, what it means in real terms is that CADCAM veneers cannot match the quality of hand-crafted ceramic veneers. However, the technology to create these veneers is improving every year so there is the potential for CADCAM veneers to become much better and more recommended in the future.
Cheryl Cole – possibly one of the best results from a combined approach with veneers
Tom Cruise – A combination of crowns and veneers, he is on his 3rd set now!
Anna Kendrick – she had six veneers before her rise in Hollywood
Morgan Freeman – a long history of gum disease and we’re glad he finally had it treated and then had veneers